Flashback
by Erin T. Aardvark
Summary: an AU about how Gobo and Wembley met.
1. Chapter 1

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an AU flashback story. I got the idea for it while I was working on my "Nevada Nesmith" story (specifically the end of Chapter 23). All the Fraggles belong to Jim Henson, with the exceptions of Wini (pronounced "Winnie"), Darcy, Cerise, and Reena, who belong to me. The song featured in this story is from "Sesame Street," which is another place that inspired this idea (episode #3854, if you want specifics), though with modified lyrics so I could make it work. As far as the age gaps between the Fraggle Five, I have absolutely no idea (all I know is that Mokey is the oldest, and Wembley is the youngest of the Five). This is just my interpretation._

* * *

Three-year-old Gobo Fraggle, wearing a horned helmet and a towel around his shoulders, snuck up behind three-year-old Red Fraggle, who was standing by the Fraggle Pond, smacking her hand against the water, and talking to her rag Fraggle, whom she named Fraggledy Ann.

"Raaaaawwwwwrrrrrr!" Gobo shouted the minute he got directly behind Red, and then gave her braid a hard yank.

"Eeek!" Red shouted. Then she whirled around, and bopped Gobo in the head with Fraggledy Ann, repeatedly.

"Don't you ever do that again, Gobo Fwaggle!" she shouted.

"Stop hitting me with your stupid doll!" Gobo shouted. "Else I'm gonna fwow it into the pond!"

"If you do, I'm gonna tell your Uncle Matt on you!" Red shouted, giving Gobo a few more whacks with the doll.

"All right, you guys, stop it," six-year-old Mokey Fraggle said, stepping between Gobo and Red. "Can't you two ever play nice with each other?"

"No!" both Gobo and Red shouted at each other, and then blew each other raspberries. Mokey heaved a sigh, took Red's hand, and led her away before anything else could happen.

Gobo then walked over to two-year-old Boober Fraggle, who was playing with a bucket of water and a washcloth.

"Hey, Boober," he said. "Wanna play Cave Creature? I'll be the brave 'splorer, and you can be the Cave Creature, and I'll slay you, 'kay?"

"No," Boober said. "Cave Cweatow scawy! Me no wanna be swayed! Me finish wandwy."

"Aww, all you ever wanna do is play laundwy!" Gobo pouted.

"Waundwy safe," Boober said. "Wed pway Cave Cweatow wiff Gobo."

"Red's a _girl_!" Gobo shouted. "And she never wants to be the Cave Creature! She always wants _me_ to be the Cave Creature so her stupid Fwaggledy Ann doll can be the 'splorer!"

With that, Gobo stomped off to his cave. His Uncle Matt was there, looking over some of his maps.

"Uncle Matt, I'm _bored!_ " Gobo shouted.

"You're bored, eh?" Matt asked. "Why don't you go play with your little friends, then?"

"They're no fun! Red and Mokey are _girls_ and always wanna do dumb _girl_ stuff like play with dumb ol' dolls, and Boober just likes to play laundwy all the time!"

"I see. Hmmm . . . . ah ha! I have it! It's time you saw what your Uncle Matt does all day, nephew! We are going to go . . . . exploring!"

"I get to go 'sploring with you, Uncle Matt?Whoopee!"

Gobo jumped up and down excitedly, and then he began skipping around the cave, singing.

"I get to go 'sploring! I get to go 'sploring!" he sang. "I get to go 'sploring, and Red doesn't!"

Gobo sang a couple more choruses of "I get to go 'sploring," while Matt packed up the necessary supplies needed for a quick jaunt around the Rock, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, it's open!" Matt called.

When the door opened, in came three female Fraggles. One Fraggle was hot pink with darker pink hair. This was Red's mother, Cerise Fraggle. Another was aqua-colored with dark purple hair. This was Mokey's mother, Darcy Fraggle. The third was pale yellow with neon green hair. Her name was Wini Fraggle, and she was pushing a baby carriage.

"Ahhh, good afternoon, ladies," Matt said, walking up to Wini's carriage. "And what do we have here?"

Gobo also walked over to the carriage, and stood up on his toes to get a better look at it's contents. Inside was a sleeping baby Fraggle, sucking his thumb. He was yellow-green in color, and had yellow hair. Also in the carriage was a pale blue rattle with a horizontal pale green stripe going around the top, a fuzzy green caterpillar that squeaked when it was squeezed, a squishy stuffed radish, and a soft, plush Fraggle doll. The caterpillar was being held in the arm of the baby Fraggle while he sucked his thumb, and his other hand occupied the arm of the Fraggle doll.

"This is Wembley," Wini said, answering Matt's question.

"Oh yes, Wini, your baby," Matt said. "And what a cute baby he is, too."

"Goody!" Gobo shouted. "Someone new to play Cave Creature with! Hey, you, wake up!"

Gobo immediately began poking the baby Fraggle with his finger as hard as he could, trying to get him to wake up. Before anyone could stop him, Wembley woke up, and immediately began screaming. Wini immediately took her son out of the carriage, and began rocking him.

"What's wong with him?" Gobo asked.

"You shouldn't have been poking at the baby that hard, Gobo," Matt said, calmly. He didn't necessarily want to yell at his nephew for this, since Gobo was only three, and he didn't know any better.

"Yes, you might have hurt him, Gobo," Wini said. "You have to be _very_ gentle around little babies."

"Oh, Wembley's not _that_ little, Wini," Cerise said, rolling her eyes.

After Wini got Wembley to stop crying, she put him back into the carriage, and gave him a pacifier from the bag she was carrying. Wembley immediately began sucking on it happily, the poking incident forgotten.

"Anyway, ladies, what brings you down to our neck of the rock?" Matt asked, and he began tickling Wembley under his chin. "Besides showing off your cute, little baby, Wini. Cootchie-cootchie-coo!"

"Well, Matthew," Darcy said, "I need to go out and get some radishes from the Gorgs' garden, and Wini and Cerise are coming with me to help. Now, you know it's _far_ to dangerous to bring our children up to the Gorgs' garden, don't you?"

"Yes, of course it is," Matt said. "Far, far too dangerous for little Fraggles."

"Right," Darcy said. "Now, my daughter, Mokey, is keeping an eye on Cerise's daughter, Red. But, still, Mokey is far too young to watch both a toddler and a baby at the same time, so we were wondering if you'd watch Wini's little Wembley while we're up gathering radishes."

"Well . . . ." Matt said, thinking it over.

"Oh, we just _knew_ you would, Matthew!" Darcy shouted. "Thanks so much! I really do need some extra hands for gathering the radishes this week."

"Uhh, wait a minute . . . ." Matt started, but the three Fraggles weren't listening.

"Everything you need is in this bag," Wini said, handing the bag to Matt. "Diapers, baby powder, diaper rash ointment, a changing pad, baby food, baby Fraggle formula, juice, a bib, an extra blanket, a teething ring, a couple of extra toys, a change of clothes, a list of instructions . . . . am I forgetting something? I'm sure I'm forgetting something!"

"Calm down, Wini," Darcy said. "After all, we're only going to be gone for a couple of hours! I swear, you're more neurotic than Reena was when her little Boober was born!"

"Where do you think she got it?" Cerise asked. "She hung around Reena so much while she was pregnant with Wembley, some of Reena's neuroses rubbed off on her!"

"I know, I know," Wini said. "But this is the first time I've left my baby for more than half an hour."

"I know, Wini," Darcy said, gently. "You're a relatively new mother. We _all_ went through this separation anxiety the first time we had to leave our babies for an extended period of time."

"Except for Reena," Cerise said. "As far as I know, she hasn't been separated from her Boober since he was born."

"Well, we'd better get going," Darcy said.

"Yeah, if we wait any longer, the radishes are going to rot," Cerise said.

"Bye-bye, sweetie-kins," Wini said, giving her baby a big hug, and several kisses. "Mommy will be back just as soon as she can. You be a good little Fraggle for Uncle Matt, okay?"

Wembley just babbled. It was about all he could do. He hadn't learned to talk yet. The only word he knew was "squeet," which was what he said whenever someone squeezed any of his squeaky toys. And with that, Wini put Wembley back into the carriage, and went off with Darcy and Cerise.

"Well," Matt said, a little confused at what just happened. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out what to do next.

"I thought we were gonna go 'sploring," Gobo said, pouting.

"Err, yes, I know, nephew Gobo," Matt said. "But, erm, there's been a slight change of plans. We have to look after little Wembley until his mommy returns."

"Oh," Gobo said. "Well, can't he come 'sploring with us?"

"I'm afraid not, Gobo, you see, he's far too young to go out exploring. But you don't have to worry, we will go exploring once Wini gets back."

"Okay, I guess."

Gobo pouted a little more, but at least he was going to get to go exploring later.

Matt put the baby bag down, and looked for the instructions Wini left. Gobo in the meantime, just stared at Wembley, and Wembley stared right back at Gobo.

"You're not so much," Gobo said. "I don't know why Fwaggles make such a big deal over a baby. You guys don't even know how to do anything."

"Squeet, squeet!" Wembley shouted, squeezing his caterpillar. Then he giggled.

"Whatever," Gobo said.

"Let's see now," Matt said. "The first thing on the list is to feed little Wembley."

"Okay," Gobo said. "I'll go get him a Doozer stick! He'll like that!"

"No, Gobo, babies don't eat Doozer sticks," Matt said.

"Why not? _Every_ Fwaggle eats Doozer sticks!"

"Baby Fraggles don't. They don't have any teeth. They like nice, soft, mushy food."

Matt began to dig through the baby bag, and pulled out a jar labeled "Mashed Mushrooms."

"Ah yes, here we are," he said. "Nice, yummy mashed mushrooms."

"Yuck!" Gobo shouted, making a face. "I _hate_ mashed mushwooms!"

"Well, Gobo, you're not a baby," Matt said, tying the bib around Wembley's neck.

Gobo didn't respond. Matt opened the jar, stuck a spoon in, and began feeding Wembley, who was very compliant about being fed mashed mushrooms.

"Isn't that yummy?" Matt asked, giving Wembley another spoonful. "Mmmm! Yum, yum, yummy!"

"Yuck," Gobo mumbled under his breath. "Uncle Matt, I'm hungwy!"

"Just a minute, Gobo," Matt said. "I've got my hands full with the baby at the moment. I'll get you something to eat as soon as I'm finished."

"But I _can't_ wait!" Gobo shouted, stomping his foot. "I'm hungwy _now_!"

"Gobo . . . . ."

"Now, now, now, now, now!"

Matt sighed. He could tell this wasn't going to be an easy afternoon. He stopped feeding Wembley, and went to make Gobo some lunch.

"I'll be right back, nephew," he said. "Keep an eye on the baby."

Gobo took the jar of mashed mushrooms and sniffed it.

"Yuck!" he shouted again. "How can you eat this? It's yucky!"

Wembley began whining, reaching for the mashed mushrooms. Gobo put the mashed mushrooms in the carriage, and handed Wembley the spoon.

"Knock yourself out, kid," he said. "You're more than welcome to mashed mushwooms! _Blecchh!_ "

Wembley babbled, took the spoon, and made an attempt to feed himself, but he was still a bit young to do that. By the time Matt returned with a radish and parsnip sandwich for Gobo, he found Wembley practically covered in mashed mushrooms.

"Babies sure are messy eaters, huh, Uncle Matt?" Gobo asked. "Any of that get into your mouth, baby?"

"Oh, Gobo!" Matt groaned. "Wembley is too little to feed himself! Look at this mess!"

"I did," Gobo said. "And it's a mess, all wight!"

"Now I'll have to give him a bath. I hope Reena's not using the bathtub."

Matt took the mushroom covered baby Fraggle out of the carriage, and walked out of the cave. Gobo followed, munching on his sandwich. They found Reena Fraggle rinsing out some socks, with Boober "helping" her.

"What a good boy!" Reena praised. "Remember to wash everything thoroughly, little Boober. It gets all the dirt out."

"Dirt bad!" Boober shouted. "Cwean good!"

"That's right!" Reena shouted.

"Oh, good, Reena, you're here," Matt said, as he and Gobo arrived on the scene. "I need the bathtub."

"I'll say you do," Reena said, getting a good look at Wembley. "What in the world happened?"

"Wini left me in charge of her baby," Matt explained. "I left for five minutes to make my nephew, Gobo, a sandwich, and all heck broke loose."

"Never leave a baby alone during mealtime, Matthew," Reena said. "Actually, never leave a baby alone, _period_!"

"Dat bad!" Boober shouted.

"Yes it is, Boober," Reena said. Then she turned to Matt. "Keep an eye on Boober for a minute, would you? I need some supplies."

With that, Reena walked into her cave. Boober walked over to Gobo.

"Wot dat?" Boober asked, pointing to Wembley.

"Wini Fwaggle's baby Wembley," Gobo said.

"Messy!" Boober shouted. "Messy bad!"

Wembley gurgled and began squirming. Matt had to put him down before he wriggled himself right out of his grip. Immediately, Wembley crawled over to Gobo and Boober. He babbled, and patted Boober on the stomach. Boober gasped.

"Oh no!" he shouted. "Guhms! I covahed in _guhms_! MAMAAAAA!"

Boober burst into hysterical tears, and Reena immediately ran out of her cave. She dropped the washtub she was carrying right on Matt's foot, and scooped up her son.

"What's the matter, baby?" she asked. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"Bad, messy baby touch me," Boober said. "I got guhms now!"

"Oh no!" Reena shouted. "Did you hear that, Matthew?! _Germs!_ Oh my poor darling! Don't worry, Boober! Mama will get you all cleaned up and make it all better!"

Matt heaved a sigh. It was obvious Reena wasn't going to let him borrow her washtub to give Wembley a bath, so he grabbed a washcloth, took him to the Fraggle Pond. Gobo followed to watch. Matt used the washcloth to clean up the worst of the mashed mushrooms, but he knew he still had to give Wembley a good bath. By the time they returned to Reena, she had finished giving Boober a bath, and Boober, now germ-free, was sitting on a blanket, playing with several fresh, clean socks.

"Washtub's all yours now, Matt," Reena said, putting on a pair of rubber gloves. "Just leave the baby's dirty clothes with me, and I'll wash them for Wini. Oh, and don't go near Boober, all right? Not until after the baby's had a bath, at least."

"Whatever you say, Reena," Matt said.

While Matt was giving Wembley a bath, Gobo walked over to Boober's blanket with his sandwich, but Boober stopped him.

"No cwumbs," he said. "Cwumbs dirty. Dirty bad."

"A little dirt never hurt nobody," Gobo said.

"Come along, Gobo!" Matt called. "It's time to go!"

"Yes, Uncle Matt!" Gobo shouted, and he ran off to catch up with his uncle.

Back at their cave, Matt continued to feed Wembley the rest of his lunch, considering there were more mashed mushrooms _on_ the baby Fraggle than there were _in_ him. Gobo watched, while munching on some Doozer sticks.

"Yes, little Wembley," Matt said. "Mashed mushrooms are _very_ yummy! Do you want some more? Do you want some more yummy? Yes, you do!"

Wembley gurgled, and opened his mouth for more. Gobo just watched.

"How come you don't feed me like that?" he asked.

"Because you're a big Fraggle, Gobo," Matt explained. "You're old enough to feed yourself."

"Oh," Gobo said. He was starting to get bored with this process.

"When Wini gonna be back?" he asked.

"I don't know, Gobo," Matt said.

"I gonna go see what Red and Mokey are doing," he said. "That okay?"

"Yes, Gobo, that's fine," Matt said. "Just don't stray too far from the Great Hall, all right?"

"Okay," Gobo said, and he started to leave the cave, just as Matt was making funny noises at Wembley, and flying the spoon around.

"Boy," he muttered under his breath. "Uncle Matt sure likes that baby."

By the time Gobo returned to the cave, he found his uncle sitting in a chair with Wembley sleeping in his lap, sucking his thumb.

"Hi Uncle Matt!" he shouted, practically at the top of his lungs. "I got an idea! If we can't go 'sploring now, you can tell me a stowy 'bout _you_ going 'sploring, 'kay?"

Before Matt could say anything, Wembley woke up, and began crying.

"Gobo, you woke up the baby!" Matt scolded.

"Well, he shouldn't be sleeping anyway!" Gobo shouted. "There's lots of fun out in the Rock, and you just miss it if you sleep!"

"I'm aware of that, Gobo," Matt said, "but according to Wini's list, it says little Wembley likes to take a nap after he eats."

"So dump him in the cawage and let him sleep! Then you can tell me a stowy!"

"I can't, Gobo, it says on the list that he likes to be rocked to sleep."

Gobo said nothing, while Matt began rocking Wembley to get him to go back to sleep.

"I'd like to rock him to sleep," the little orange Fraggle muttered under his breath. "With a _real_ rock!"

"Did you say something, nephew?" Matt asked.

"No, Uncle Matt," Gobo said.

Shortly thereafter, Wembley fell asleep. Matt carefully put him back into his carriage, and Gobo immediately climbed into his uncle's lap.

"My turn!" he shouted. Thankfully, Wembley didn't wake up this time. "I wanna be rocked, too!"

"All right," Matt said. "I suppose you could use a little afternoon nap yourself, Gobo."

Matt began rocking his nephew, hoping he'd fall asleep and nap for awhile. But the minute Gobo began to doze off, the Fraggle Horn sounded, waking up Wembley, and he immediately began crying.

"Not again!" Matt moaned.

"What's going on out there?" Gobo asked.

"I'll go find out," Matt said. "Watch the baby, Gobo."

Matt left the cave, and Gobo looked into the carriage.

"You're little, but you gotta big scream," he said.

"What's going on?" Mokey asked, as she and Red came into the cave.

"I dunno," Gobo said shrugging. "One minute, Uncle Matt and I are watching Wini Fwaggle's dumb ol' baby, and the next, the Fwaggle horn goes off."

"Oooohhh, I haven't seen Wini Fwaggle's baby yet!" Red shouted, excitedly. Then she stood on her toes to get a closer look at Wembley in the carriage.

"I have," Mokey said, tickling under Wembley's chin, in an attempt to get him to stop crying. "His name is Wembley. Isn't he cute?"

"Awww! He sure is!" Red shouted, and she started tickling the baby Fraggle as well.

"He's not _that_ cute," Gobo muttered under his breath. But he was glad about one thing. The girls _did_ manage to get Wembley to stop crying.

"Look out, Wembley!" Red shouted. "I'm a Tickle Monster! Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

Wembley squealed in delight as Red tickled him. Mokey reached over, and began wiggling Wembley's toes.

"This little Doozer built a tower," she recited. "And this little Doozer stayed home . . . ."

While the girls were busy playing with the baby Fraggle, Matt returned to the cave, with Darcy, Cerise, and Reena right behind him. Reena was in a full scale panic.

"I told you it was dangerous!" she shouted. "I knew this was going to happen one day! I knew it, I just knew it! Why do you always have to go into that gosh-awful garden, anyway? Why can't we grow our own radishes?"

"We don't get enough light down here," Darcy explained.

"Well, it wouldn't have happened if Wini would get her head out of the clouds!" Cerise shouted. "If she had been paying attention, then she wouldn't have gotten thumped!"

"Not in front of the children, Cerise," Darcy scolded, calmly.

"What I don't understand is why _I_ have to take care of the baby for the next couple of days," Matt said.

"You're the only one with experience, Matthew," Darcy explained. "You're the only one of us who has taken care of a baby boy Fraggle."

"What about Reena?" Matt asked. "After all, _she's_ has a baby boy Fraggle!"

"I can't take care of a baby and a toddler at the same time!" Reena shouted. "My poor little Boober would be so jealous and he might develop some kind of complex that would traumatize him for the rest of his dear little life! I just _couldn't_ do that to my baby! Your nephew Gobo is _much_ stronger than my sweet little Boober! He'll be able to handle it. My darling Boober would just go absolutely out of his mind if I brought a new baby home!"

"Oh brother," Cerise groaned. "She's got her poor kid living in a bubble. He's going to grow up to be some kind of neurotic germaphobe obsessed with cleanliness, and worrying about death and destruction all the time. Kind of like her."

"Cerise, please!" Darcy shouted.

"What's going on, Mama?" Mokey asked.

"Oh, nothing to worry about, dear," Darcy said, patting her daughter's head. "Auntie Wini had a little accident, that's all."

"She got thumped by the Gorgs," Cerise said.

"What's thumped?" Red asked.

"Never mind," Cerise said, taking Red's hand. "Mommy will tell you when you're older, Red. Now come on, time to go home."

"'Kay," Red said. "Bye-bye, Wembley! Bye, Gobo, bye Mokey."

"Don't worry about a thing, Matthew," Darcy said. "I'm sure everything will be all right!"

"I hope so," Matt said, with a sigh.

"What's going on, Uncle Matt?" Gobo asked.

"Oh, Wini got hurt while gathering radishes with Darcy and Cerise," Matt explained. "She has to stay in bed for a few days until she gets well, and we have to take care of little Wembley until then."

"You mean he's gonna have to stay longer?"

"Yes, he is."

Matt walked over to the carriage, took Wembley out of it, sat the baby Fraggle on his lap, and began tickling his tummy.

"We'll just have to make the best of it, won't we, little Wembley?" he said, in a baby-talk tone. "Yes, we will! Cootchie-cootchie-coo! Cootchie-cootchie-coo!"

"Blech!" Gobo shouted, scrunching his face in disgust. Matt didn't pay any attention.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, when Matt went to put baby Wembley to bed in his carriage, he found Gobo sitting in it. He was wearing a baby bonnet, sucking his thumb, and holding Wembley's toy caterpillar.

"What the?" Matt asked. "Gobo, what in the Rock are you doing?"

"Goo, goo, ga, ga," he said, pulling his thumb out of his mouth for a moment, and then jamming it back in.

"Really, Gobo," Matt said. "You're much too old to be acting like a baby! Get out of that carriage this instant!"

"Waaaahhhh!" Gobo shouted in response.

Matt sighed, put Wembley down on the floor for the moment, and took Gobo out of the carriage.

"Feeling a bit jealous of little Wembley, are we?" he asked.

"Well, _he's_ getting all the tenshun!" Gobo shouted. "Just 'cause he's a baby!"

"Babies need a lot of attention, nephew," Matt explained, picking up Wembley and putting him in the carriage. "I know you're feeling a bit left out. I assure you, I felt the same way when your mother was born. I wanted my parents to send her back to where she came from."

"Sounds like a good idea. Why can't we do that?"

"We will, in a few days. In the meantime, you'll just have to get used to it."

Wembley smiled, and reached out to Gobo, babbling. Gobo glared at him, and threw the caterpillar into the carriage as hard as he could.

"Gobo, be nice," Matt said, in a warning voice. He took the toy caterpillar and began squeezing it to make it squeak.

"Squeet!" Wembley shouted in delight. "Squeet, squeet, squeet!"

Gobo looked at his uncle and the baby, disgustedly. He couldn't stand it much longer. He stormed over to the carriage, and gave it a good, hard kick.

"Stupid baby!" he yelled.

Gobo kicked the carriage so hard, it actually fell over. Luckily, Matt managed to catch the baby Fraggle before he could hit the floor, but it didn't stop Wembley from letting out an extremely loud shriek.

"Gobo, that was a terrible thing to do!" Matt shouted. "You could have hurt the baby!"

"I don't care!" Gobo shouted.

"Never the less, I'm going to have to punish you for this," Matt said. "You are going to bed right now, and you have just lost your bedtime story for the night!"

Gobo pouted for a moment, and then stomped over to his bed, practically glaring daggers at Wembley.

Things weren't much better the next day. Matt had to go on an exploring trip, so he had to get Darcy and Cerise to look after both Gobo and Wembley while he was out. That was okay with them. Since they were already watching Mokey and Red, they figured they'd let the two boys play with the two girls for awhile. Mokey was coloring while Red and Gobo built towers out of Gobo's wooden blocks. Wembley just sat there, chewing on whatever he could get his hands on, even though he didn't have any teeth yet.

"Yuck!" Gobo shouted, pulling a block away from the baby Fraggle. Wembley began to cry.

"What is it, Gobo?" Mokey asked.

"Dumb ol' Wembley!" Gobo shouted. "He's drooling on _every_ thing!"

"He's probably just teething, Gobo," Mokey said, calmly.

"Well, can't he teeth on his own stuff?" Gobo asked. "He's gettin' my blocks all yucky!"

Mokey sighed, picked up Wembley's rattle, shook it to get the baby Fraggle's attention, and then handed it to him. Immediately, Wembley stuck it in his mouth. That seemed to occupy him for awhile. Then he crawled over to the block tower and looked at it.

"That's the biggest block tower we've ever made!" Red shouted. "Mommy! Mommy! Look what me and Gobo made!"

"Very nice, Red," Cerise said, looking over. "Look how tall it is!"

"Yeah, wait'll Uncle Matt sees it!" Gobo shouted.

Wembley babbled, and began pushing on one of the blocks on the bottom of the tower, causing it to fall over, destroying it.

"Oh no!" Gobo shouted. "Now look what that stupid baby's done! He _ruined_ our tower!"

"Don't get so mad, Gobo," Mokey said. "Wembley's just a baby. He didn't know what he was doing."

"But now we gotta start all over again," Gobo said, pouting. Then he began to gather up the blocks, pushing Wembley out of his way. Wembley began crying. Mokey sighed, pulled the baby Fraggle into her lap, and began playing "This Little Doozer" with him.

Gobo and Red rebuilt their tower, just as Matt was returning from his trip. When Gobo saw him coming, he jumped up, ran over, grabbed his uncle's hand, and tried to lead him over, telling him about the great block tower he and Red built. However, Wembley crawled out of Mokey's lap, and accidentally knocked the tower over again, just before Matt could see it.

"Not _again_!" Gobo groaned. "Dumb ol' Wembley!"

"Now, now, Gobo," Matt said. "Little Wembley's only a baby. He didn't mean it."

Gobo groaned, and began picking up the blocks again. Wembley grabbed one of them and began chewing on it, like he did before. Gobo didn't appreciate this.

"I'll show you," he grumbled. He put his blocks down, and went to get the wooden box he kept them in. He picked it up, walked right over to Wembley, and dropped the box right on the baby Fraggle's head. Of course, Wembley let out an ear-shattering scream. Unfortunately for Gobo, all three adult Fraggles saw him do this.

"Gobo!" they all shouted in unison.

"Gobo, that was a _terrible_ thing to do!" Darcy shouted.

"Ooooohhhh, Gobo's in twouble, Gobo's in twouble!" Red sang. "Gobo's gonna get it! Gobo's gonna get it!"

"Red!" Cerise shouted, sternly. Immediately, Red stopped singing.

"Really, Gobo, what's come over you?" Matt asked, picking up the baby. "You could have hurt little Wembley doing that!"

"I don't care!" Gobo shouted. "I hate that stupid baby Fwaggle! He gets in the way of everything, and . . . . and you like him better than me!"

Gobo then stormed off. Matt just stood there, too surprised to say anything. After finally getting his wits back, he started to go after his nephew, but both Cerise and Darcy stopped him.

"Leave him alone, Matt," Cerise said. "He needs some time to himself."

"But him going off by himself, at his age . . . ." Matt began.

"Oh, Matthew, don't worry, he won't go far," Darcy said. "Most likely he'll head in the direction of the Storyteller. She'll probably see him and bring him back home."

"Yes," Cerise agreed. "And besides, you've got other things to worry about, such as a crying baby Fraggle."

Matt nodded, hoping Cerise and Darcy were right. He heaved a sigh, and began to console Wembley.

Gobo, in the meantime, was wandering around the Rock, kicking at stones, and muttering to himself.

"Stupid baby," he said. Then he began picking up some small rocks and throwing them as hard as he could. He didn't realize he was throwing them at the Storyteller's door. She heard the rocks hit the door, and opened it.

"Did someone knock?" she asked, looking around. "Oh, look who it is! It's little Gobo, Matt Fraggle's nephew! Tell me, Gobo, how is your uncle these days?"

"Too busy with dumb ol' Wini Fwaggle's dumb ol' baby," Gobo muttered, sitting down. "He doesn't like me anymore. He likes _Wembley_ better!"

"Oh, Gobo!" the Storyteller shouted. "I'm sure that's not true! Your uncle loves you very much!"

"Then how come he spends all his time with that dumb ol' baby? How come Wini can't take care of him? He's _her_ dumb ol' baby, anyway!"

"Well, it's very hard to take care of a baby after you've gotten thumped by a Gorg and broke a leg. And Matt has to spend a lot of time with baby Wembley because babies need a lot of attention. But that doesn't mean your uncle doesn't love you anymore."

"Yes it does. He doesn't love me, he loves the baby. He can't love both of us."

"Sure he can. There's lots of different kinds of love, and each Fraggle loves each other in different kinds of ways."

Gobo looked at the Storyteller as if she had a Clinging Creeper vine sprouting out of her ears. The Storyteller sighed. It was obvious Gobo didn't understand what she was saying, so she tried another tactic.

"It's kind of like this," she said, and she began singing.

 _He loves him 'cause he's tiny and small_

 _He loves you 'cause you're getting so tall_

 _Tiny and small love_

 _Getting so tall love_

 _Everyone loves through all their days_

 _Different Fraggles, different ways_

Gobo grumbled, folded his arms over his chest, and turned away from the Storyteller. He didn't believe one word of this. The Storyteller sighed, and tried again.

 _He loves him 'cause he has to be fed_

 _He loves you 'cause you make your own bed_

 _Has to be fed love_

 _Make your own bed love_

 _Everyone loves through all their days_

 _Different Fraggles, different ways_

Gobo looked at the Storyteller, now getting a little more interested in what she had to say. She continued singing.

 _He loves him 'cause he's small and helpless_

 _He has to be washed and dressed each day_

 _He loves you 'cause you're big and helpful_

 _And you can dance, sing, and play_

Gobo nodded, and smiled. He was beginning to understand what the Storyteller was trying to say now.

 _Storyteller: He loves him 'cause he's sugar and spice_

 _He loves you 'cause you're awfully nice_

 _Sugar and spice love_

 _Awfully nice love_

 _Gobo: Tiny and small love_

 _Getting so tall love_

 _Storyteller: Everyone loves through all their days_

 _Different Fraggles, different ways_

 _Both: Everyone loves through all their days_

 _Different Fraggles, different ways_

"I think I get it now," Gobo said.

"Good," the Storyteller said. "Come on. I'll take you back to your cave."

The Storyteller took Gobo's hand, and the two Fraggles walked toward the cave Gobo and Matt shared. The Storyteller knew Gobo could make it back by himself, though she always loved any excuse to go visit Matt.

When the two Fraggles reached the cave, they were welcomed by the sound of an extremely fussy baby. Matt was pacing the floor with Wembley, looking a bit harried.

"Hello, Matt," the Storyteller said, in a bit of a sing-song voice.

"Hi, Uncle Matt," Gobo said. "What's wong with Wembley?"

"I don't know, Gobo," Matt said. "I haven't been able to get him to stop crying since . . . . well, since that little incident earlier."

"Incident?" the Storyteller asked.

"I dwopped my block box on the baby's head," Gobo said, sounding a little ashamed of himself.

"I see," the Storyteller said.

"Did I hurt him _that_ bad, Uncle Matt?" Gobo asked, worriedly.

"No, you didn't," Matt said. "Luckily, it seems little Wembley has quite a hard head. I can't understand why he won't stop crying."

"Let me have him, Matt," the Storyteller said.

"Do you know anything about babies?" Matt asked, handing Wembley to the Storyteller.

" _All_ us female Fraggles have maternal instincts," the Storyteller said, and she began to rock Wembley in her arms. "Isn't that right, little Wembley? Yes, it is. Oh, I can't wait until I become a mother, and raise a little Fraggle of my own! Doesn't that sound _wonder_ ful, Matt?"

"Yes, it _is_ a wonderful experience," Matt said, patting Gobo on the head affectionately. "But I don't think I'd do it again, not after Gobo became so jealous of the baby. I wouldn't want another episode of having to go through _this_ again!"

The Storyteller glared at Matt, and Gobo covered his mouth with his hand to hide his giggles. Unfortunately for the Storyteller, Wembley wasn't very compliant in her attempts to get him to stop crying. She tried changing his diaper, but that didn't work. She tried giving him his bottle, but he refused it. She tried singing him a lullaby, but he wouldn't fall asleep. She tried giving him his teething ring, but he threw it to the floor. She tried giving him a blanket, thinking he was cold, but that wasn't the case. She tried cuddling him, but he just squirmed and cried harder.

"So much for maternal instincts," she said with a sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Maybe he's just crying for the sake of crying," Matt said. "Babies will do that sometimes."

"I have a book on this," the Storyteller said, putting Wembley in his carriage. "I'll go get it."

"Let me go with you," Matt said.

"Oh, really?" the Storyteller asked, excitedly.

"Yes, I need a break from this constant screaming!" Matt shouted. "I can't take it any longer!"

The Storyteller sighed, and she and Matt left the cave. Gobo walked over to his bed to play with some of his own toys, but it wasn't easy with Wembley crying the way he was. Ignoring him wasn't going to help much. Gobo sighed, and walked over to the carriage.

"How come you're not gonna stop cwying?" he asked.

Wembley stopped crying for a moment, and then whined. Gobo shrugged, and began walking away, but Wembley began crying again. Gobo walked back to the carriage, and Wembley stopped howling, and began whining again, reaching his arms toward Gobo.

"You wanna be held?" he asked. "Okay, but don't get mad at me if I dwop you. I never done this before!"

Gobo stood on his toes, and managed to pick up Wembley and pull him out of the carriage.

"You're heavier than you look!" he shouted, stumbling backwards a little, but he managed to keep his grip on the baby Fraggle.

Gobo grunted, and managed to make it over to his bed. He sat down, and held Wembley in his lap. Wembley immediately began to quiet down, and his cries were reduced to little whimpers, until he stopped crying completely, and began sucking his thumb. By that time, Matt and the Storyteller came back, being unable to locate the book they had been looking for. They were completely dumbstruck when they saw Gobo holding Wembley.

"Hi, Uncle Matt," Gobo said. "Look, I got the baby to stop cwying!"

"Now how in the Rock did you manage to do that?" Matt asked.

"I dunno," Gobo said, shrugging. "I just picked him up and he stopped."

Matt then took Wembley from his nephew, but the minute he did, the baby Fraggle began screaming again, reaching toward Gobo.

"Ooooh, I see," the Storyteller said. "He wants Gobo to hold him. Give him back to Gobo, Matt."

"But don't you think Gobo's awfully young to hold a baby Fraggle?" Matt asked.

"You've got to learn some time," the Storyteller said, taking Wembley from Matt, and transferring him to Gobo. Immediately, Wembley stopped crying. Then the Storyteller found Wembley's bottle, and handed it to Gobo.

"Here, Gobo," she said. "Give Wembley his bottle."

"Okay," Gobo said. He held up the baby bottle to Wembley, and the baby Fraggle immediately latched onto it, slurping away happily.

"Wow, look at him go!" Gobo shouted, with a laugh. Then he stopped laughing abruptly.

"Uh oh," he said.

"What's wrong, Gobo?" Matt asked.

"Uncle Matt?" Gobo asked. "What do you do when a baby gets you wet?"

"Ahhh, yes," Matt said, nodding. "Well, Gobo, babies will do that, you know. It happened to me quite often. Your mother used to do that to me, and you used to do that to me, too."

"I'll take care of that," the Storyteller said, taking Wembley off Gobo's lap. "And I have an idea. Why don't you boys go have some quality time together while I look after the baby?"

"A good idea," Matt said. "Come along, nephew Gobo! Let's go on that exploring trip I promised you before this whole thing started."

"Yay!" Gobo shouted. "I get to go 'sploring, I get to go 'sploring!"

And with that, Matt and Gobo left the cave, while the Storyteller put Wembley on a blanket on the cave floor and proceeded to change him.

"Looks like it's going to be smooth sailing from now on, don't you think?" she asked. Wembley's response was just a string of gurgling.

When Matt and Gobo returned from their exploring trip, Gobo immediately ran for the carriage. Wembley saw him coming, and squealed happily.

"Hiya Wembley!" Gobo shouted. "Guess what I did? I went 'sploring with my uncle Matt! And he took me to Firefly Cavern! It was really neat! Too bad you're too little to go 'sploring. But maybe when you're bigger, you'll get to come with us! But for now, here comes a very hungwy caterpillar!"

Gobo took Wembley's toy caterpillar, and made it walk toward Wembley.

"Squeet, squeet!" Wembley shouted, as Gobo squeezed the toy.

From that point on, Gobo did everything he could to help Matt take care of Wembley. The only part of helping out he didn't like was changing dirty diapers, but Matt sort of expected that.

Three days went by, and by now, Gobo and Wembley were practically inseparable. Finally, Wini came by the cave to collect her baby.

"I'm _so_ sorry about the inconvenience, Matt," she said. "Really, I didn't mean to get thumped. I didn't even realize a Gorg was coming! I was trying to decide between two radishes, and suddenly, WHACK!"

"Think nothing of it, Wini," Matt said. "Gobo! Wini's here! It's time for little Wembley to leave now!"

"Awww, does he _hafta_?" Gobo whined, holding Wembley on his lap, and tickling him. "I was just starting to like having him around!"

"Awww, isn't that the sweetest thing?" Wini sighed, when she saw the two young Fraggles.

"I'm afraid so, Gobo," Matt said. "Wini's all better now, and she has to take her baby back."

"Oh, okay," Gobo said, somewhat grudgingly.

"Thank you for helping take care of Wembley, Gobo," Wini said, as she took her baby off Gobo's lap.

"You're welcome," Gobo said. "Hey, is it okay if I come by your cave, and play with him sometimes?"

"Oh, of course it is!" Wini shouted. "Wembley really seems to like you."

"Yay!" Gobo cheered. "You hear that, Wembley? I'm gonna teach you everything I know, like 'sploring, and playing Cave Creature, and stuff like that!"

"At least wait until he's learned how to walk before all that," Wini said laughing. She put Wembley in his carriage, checked to make sure she had everything, and then began pushing it out of the cave.

"Okay, sweetie," she said. "Say bye-bye to Gobo."

Wembley gurgled, making some unintelligible noises, but what came out of his mouth next surprised everybody.

"Go . . . . bo!" he shouted.

"Hey!" Gobo shouted. "You hear that, Uncle Matt? He said my name!"

"Yes, he certainly did," Matt said.

"Oh, how sweet!" Wini gushed. "Wembley learned a new word!"

"Yeah, and it was my name!" Gobo shouted. "You know what that means?"

"No," Wini said. "What does that mean?"

"That means me and Wembley are gonna be best buddies, forever and ever, right Wembley?"

"Gobo!" Wembley shouted, happily, bouncing in his carriage.

"That's right!" Gobo shouted. "But don't worry, Uncle Matt. I still love you, too. So you don't hafta be jealous."

"Thank you, Gobo," Matt said. "That's very refreshing to know. I think."

Wini laughed, and pushed the carriage out of the cave. Gobo ran after them.

"Where are going, Gobo?" Matt asked.

"I'm gonna go play with my new best buddy!" Gobo shouted. "See you later, Uncle Matt!"

Matt laughed, and went to work on his maps, thankful that everything was back to normal in Fraggle Rock.

The End


End file.
